Stage Talks with Bellingcat

In this week’s Stage talk, Bellingcat’s Jake Godin explores how satellite imagery helps us understand Gaza’s changing landscape. He shares tools and techniques for analysing imagery and explains how secondary sources can help verify findings, revealing changes across Gaza over time.Hosted by Charlotte Maher on 29 October 2026. Music featured is courtesy of Artlist. Recorded live in our Discord Server: https://discord.com/invite/bellingcatLinks: Viral Google Maps imagery: https://www.bellingcat.com/news/middle-east/2026/10/01/viral-google-maps-images-shared-widely-this-week-show-gaza-ruins-we-obtained-more-recent-satellite-imagery/DDMG: https://conflict-damage.org/ QGIS: https://www.qgis.org/cWSJ: https://www.wsj.com/world/middle-east/a-glimpse-inside-gaza-shows-how-israels-military-footprint-is-expanding-ecdb8834Sentinel 2: https://dataspace.copernicus.eu/data-collections/copernicus-sentinel-missions/sentinel-2 Planet: https://www.planet.com/Geoconfirmed: https://geoconfirmed.org/Geolocation of the site of Sinwar's death : https://www.bellingcat.com/news/2024/10/17/geolocating-site-where-hamas-leader-yahya-sinwar-was-killed/Deforestation: https://www.bellingcat.com/news/2024/03/15/gazas-trees-disappear-showing-a-humanitarian-crisis/Forensic Architecture: https://gaza.forensic-architecture.org/database/layers?layers=none&imagery=planet&map=13.84/31.50479/34.49058Geomolg (palestinian): https://geomolg.ps/Israeli gov map site: https://www.govmap.gov.il/Cultural heritage in Gaza: https://www.bellingcat.com/news/2024/06/26/gaza-israel-destroy-destruction-damage-cultural-history-heritage-archaeology-conflict-war/Ballinger's tool: https://www.bellingcat.com/resources/2023/11/15/a-new-tool-allows-researchers-to-track-damage-in-gaza/

This week we spoke to the people behind the Bellingcat Online Open Source Investigation Toolkit, two years after it was first launched. In the conversation, Johanna Wild, Anisa Shabir and Martin Sona explored how they assess new tools, put tools to the test and manage to upkeep the toolkit amongst a constantly changing digital landscape. They also provided invaluable tips on how you can stay safe and precise with your analysis when using open source tools. The talk was hosted by Charlotte Maher on October 8th 2026. Music featured is courtesy of Artlist.Recorded live in our Discord Server: https://discord.com/invite/bellingcatLinks:Bellingcat Toolkit: https://bellingcat.gitbook.io/toolkitContact: [email protected] the Toolkit work: https://www.bellingcat.com/donate-bellingcat-toolkit/Areas in our Discord for tools: Interested in finding or sharing useful tools? ⁠tools-and-sites Need help with a tool? ⁠tool-support Looking for help with or review of development of your own tool? ⁠tool-developmentWe spoke about some of these ethical issues and restrictions with AI tools last week with Craig Silverman, listen back here: https://rss.com/podcasts/bellingcatstagetalk/3202578/Johanna previously gave a talk when the new toolkit launched here: https://rss.com/podcasts/bellingcatstagetalk/1675152/Image/Video category in the toolkit: https://bellingcat.gitbook.io/toolkit/categories/image-videoTool Pure Ref: https://www.pureref.com/Social media category in the toolkit: https://bellingcat.gitbook.io/toolkit/categories/social-mediaTool zeeschuimer: https://bellingcat.gitbook.io/toolkit/more/all-tools/zeeschuimerLearn about our volunteer community here: https://www.bc-community.org/

This week OSINT journalist and trainer Craig Silverman joined us to share how he uses AI in investigations, from prompting Claude to become a research assistant to searching with facial recognition tools. This talk specifically dove into his methodology on his recent investigation into a North Korean scam, where fake recruiters were trying to get new hires to download malware. Craig shared invaluable tips on how and when AI could come in use, alongside pointing out the risks involved with using this technology for research. The talk was hosted by Charlotte Maher on October 1st 2026. Music featured is courtesy of Artlist.Recorded live in our Discord Server: https://discord.com/invite/bellingcatLinks:Craig's investigation: https://indicator.media/p/i-got-inside-a-north-korean-hiring-scam-what-i-found-reveals-a-troubling-shift-in-tactics Tools mentioned: spotlight.buriedsignals.comhttps://navigator.indicator.media/Xuele Doc: https://github.com/Malfrats/xeuledoc Bellingcat Toolkit: https://bellingcat.gitbook.io/toolkitBellingcat AI articles: https://www.bellingcat.com/resources/2026/06/25/how-to-use-ai-to-help-find-civilian-harm-conflict-report-monitor-war-machine-learning-telegram/ https://www.bellingcat.com/resources/2025/08/14/llms-vs-geolocation-gpt-5-performs-worse-than-other-ai-models/Indicator framework: https://indicator.media/p/the-indicator-framework-how-to-tell-what-your-digital-osint-evidence-is-actually-worthSpace in Discord for this topic: https://discordapp.com/channels/709752884257882135/1089154093810978866

This week Bellingcat's Peter Barth joined us to go behind the scenes of his latest investigation into a cold case murder. This talk specifically dove into his methodology for public record requests and how this pursuit led to him finding the answers he was looking for. Full of FOIA tips and tricks, this episode is perfect for anyone looking to do in-depth investigations on cases that may have taken place pre-internet boom. The talk was hosted by Charlotte Maher on September 17th 2026. Music featured is courtesy of Artlist.Recorded live in our Discord Server: https://discord.com/invite/bellingcatLinks:Peter's cold case investigation: https://www.bellingcat.com/news/us-canada/2026/08/31/investigating-a-murder-public-records-uncover-new-clues-in-chinatown-cold-case/?utm_source=stagetalksPeter's slides: https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1aGJNVqzHSgOC4nwsKT7rrw7NpO--a8lWCK8k2Z8apoM/edit?usp=sharing Merch contest (referenced at beginning): https://www.bellingcat.com/uncategorized/2026/09/14/bellingcat-official-merch-design-contest/Peter's last talk on cold cases: https://rss.com/podcasts/bellingcatstagetalk/2101281/Space in the Discord Server to talk tools for cold case investigations: https://discordapp.com/channels/709752884257882135/1375086026275688488 Muckrock: https://www.muckrock.com/foi/also a great FOI website: https://www.whatdotheyknow.com/Peter's Texas cold case: https://www.bellingcat.com/news/2025/05/27/pigeon-shoots-and-hitmen-new-leads-in-a-texas-oilmans-cold-case/

This week Bellingcat's Michael Colborne and Pooja Chaudhuri joined us to share their experience of using network analysis techniques to study transnational hate groups. We spent the hour discussing useful research tips and exploring the wider context of how these types of groups operate.The talk was hosted by Charlotte Maher on September 3rd 2026. Music featured is courtesy of Artlist.Recorded live in our Discord Server: https://discord.com/invite/bellingcatLinks:Want to learn more about researching this topic? Check out our webinar in October: https://www.bellingcat.com/workshops/hate-symbols-online-extremism-and-how-not-to-amplify-hate-webinar-october-28-2026/Colombian investigation on AC Bogota: https://www.bellingcat.com/news/2026/05/11/active-club-colombia-politics/Bulgarian streetwear investigation: https://www.bellingcat.com/news/2024/10/09/active-club-far-right-fashion-w2r-bulgaria/Example of an event in Budapest: https://www.bellingcat.com/news/2025/01/30/neo-nazis-linked-to-terrorist-activities-to-host-budapest-concert/Hindu nationalist website article: https://www.bellingcat.com/news/2024/05/28/how-hindu-nationalist-far-right-india-websites-money/RSS map: https://rssproject.caravanmagazine.in/mapQANON analysis guide: https://www.bellingcat.com/news/2021/11/24/toy-rabbits-chemtrails-and-german-qanon-fanatics-how-not-to-conduct-open-source-investigations/RSS in Modi Government: https://theprint.in/politics/rss-in-modi-govt-in-numbers-3-of-4-ministers-are-rooted-in-the-sangh/353942/

This week Bellingcat's Kolina Koltai and The Press' Michael Wright joined us to discuss their recent investigation into the website LeakedBB. LeakedBB was a publicly accessible forum with millions of registered users, where intimate images were allegedly shared without consent. Kolina and Michael provided insight into the methodology behind their investigation, how they identified a key admin of the website, and the challenges of tackling the wider issue of non-consensual sharing of explicit images online.The talk was hosted by Charlotte Maher on August 13th 2026. Music featured is courtesy of Artlist.Recorded live in our Discord Server: https://discord.com/invite/bellingcatLinks:The investigation: https://www.bellingcat.com/news/2026/07/16/leakedbb-crypto-entrepreneur/The Press' version of the investigation: https://www.thepress.co.nz/nz-news/361041069/leaked-global-online-forum-trading-leaked-nudes-and-its-christchurch-linksThese researchers also recently spoke to The World about this investigation: https://theworld.org/segments/2026/08/07/investigative-report-traces-global-reach-of-revenge-porn-websiteHave a story for Bellingcat? https://www.bellingcat.com/contactOpenCorporates: https://bellingcat.gitbook.io/toolkit/more/all-tools/opencorporatesMrDeepfakes investigation: https://www.bellingcat.com/news/2025/05/07/canadian-pharmacist-linked-to-worlds-most-notorious-deepfake-porn-site/Motherless (.com) podcast episode: https://rss.com/podcasts/bellingcatstagetalk/2909687/Image Angel podcast episode: https://rss.com/podcasts/bellingcatstagetalk/2962192/Hunchly: https://hunch.ly/Autoarchiver: https://www.bellingcat.com/resources/2025/08/13/the-open-source-tool-that-has-preserved-150000-pieces-of-online-evidence/

This week, we explored how our work is funded - what keeps our open-source collective's lights on? Bellingcat's Sarah Bishop Woods and Mareike Vitt, both members of our Development Team, joined us to explain our new funding structure: a Bellingcat membership model. We discussed what a membership model is, why Bellingcat has adopted it, and the benefits and risks associated with this type of funding. Mareike also stressed that relying on a single source of funding is not enough to sustain an organisation in the current economic climate.The talk was hosted by Charlotte Maher on July 3oth 2026. Music featured is courtesy of Artlist.Recorded live in our Discord Server: https://discord.com/invite/bellingcatLinks:Become a Bellingcat member: https://www.bellingcat.com/donate/Mareike's previous talk is here on wider funding models: https://rss.com/podcasts/bellingcatstagetalk/1897808/Bellingcat Toolkit: https://bellingcat.gitbook.io/toolkitListed member benefits: https://www.bellingcat.com/bellingcat-member-benefits/Some guidance on how to support Bellingcat from Mareike, we're grateful for all of them: Amplify. Share our program, newsletters or posts within your networks. Take initiative. You can create your own campaign for Bellingcat and start raising funds within your peers by e.g. for your birthday, run a half-marathon, live-stream your gaming activityFundraiser for Bellingcat NL (tax-deductible in NL)For raising funds that are tax deductible in NL: https://www.bellingcat.com/bellingcat-member-benefits/Fundraiser for Bellingcat US (tax-deductible in the US) For raising tax deductible donations in the US: https://donorbox.org/peer-to-peer-fundraising-for-bellingcat Targeted support. You can support specific causes at Bellingcat now. We’ve created a dedicated fund to support the Bellingcat Toolkit. Let us know what else you’d like to support. Donations to support the Bellingcat Toolkit specifically: https://www.bellingcat.com/donate-bellingcat-toolkit/Advise. Your insight is important to us, and we will listen carefully. Connect. If someone from your network belongs in the conversation, we would be grateful for the introduction.Any ideas, questions or initiatives, we're here for you: [email protected]

This week, we spoke to SourceMaterial's Costanza Gambarini, fresh off her win at the Press Awards for Environmental Journalist of the Year. We spoke about what makes a good environmental journalist and the practices she follows in her newsroom. The talk was hosted by Charlotte Maher on July 16th 2026. Music featured is courtesy of Artlist.Recorded live in our Discord Server: https://discord.com/invite/bellingcatLinks:Seeds of doubt: https://www.politico.eu/article/seeds-of-doubt-the-dark-side-of-enis-green-jet-fuel-promise/Indonesian exports: https://www.source-material.org/indonesian-exporters-palm-oil-pome-fraud-supplied-european-fuel-companies/Dark Water: https://www.source-material.org/putin-shadow-fleet-illegal-dumping-oil-sea/Data Centres: https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2025/apr/09/big-tech-datacentres-waterOther investigations mentioned:https://www.source-material.org/shadow-fleet-security-guard-captains-russia-oil/https://www.source-material.org/totalenergies-workers-linked-sexual-exploitation-mozambique/https://www.source-material.org/mozambique-total-lng-military-human-rights/Contact SourceMaterial: https://www.source-material.org/contact/Bellingcat Toolkit: https://bellingcat.gitbook.io/toolkitDiscord spaces:#environment-wildlife: https://discordapp.com/channels/709752884257882135/807311724893175878#Tools-sites: https://discordapp.com/channels/709752884257882135/709755421836967978#maritime: https://discordapp.com/channels/709752884257882135/920298016123023400Previous talks mentioned:Protecting the people in your research: https://rss.com/podcasts/bellingcatstagetalk/2041897/Tracking Suspicious Ships: https://rss.com/podcasts/bellingcatstagetalk/2235217/

This week, we're exploring technology designed to respond to online harms.We spoke with Madelaine Thomas, founder of Image Angel, about forensic watermarking, how the technology works, and the challenges of building tools to respond to the non-consensual sharing of intimate images.We also discuss the opportunities, limitations, and alternative approaches to tackling this issue.The talk was hosted by Charlotte Maher on July 2nd 2026. Music featured is courtesy of Artlist.Recorded live in our Discord Server: https://discord.com/invite/bellingcatTW: Discussion of sexual exploitation and image abuseLinks:The company website: https://www.imageangel.co.uk/And Image Angel's Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/imageangel_/ If you're interested in this talk you might find our previous talk with CNN interesting: (HUGE TW for sexual abuse) https://rss.com/podcasts/bellingcatstagetalk/2909687/Revenge Porn Helpline: https://stopncii.org/Bellingcat Open Source Toolkit: https://bellingcat.gitbook.io/toolkitTool Development space in our Discord Server: https://discordapp.com/channels/709752884257882135/1485701772625314013#NotYourPorn: https://notyourporn.com/

This week we spoke to the CNN team behind the investigation into the porn site Motherless. Anonymous accounts. Private chat groups. Hidden online communities. We unpacked how reporters gained access to these spaces, spoke with users sharing intimate imagery of people they knew, and navigated the challenges of reporting in communities designed to stay hidden. It's a conversation about newsroom resources, risk assessment, digital safety, and the realities of reporting where others aren't looking.The talk was hosted by Charlotte Maher on June 11th 2026. Music featured is courtesy of Artlist. Recorded live in our Discord Server: https://discord.com/invite/bellingcatTW: Discussion of sexual assault and abuseLinks:CNN's Motherless Investigation: https://edition.cnn.com/interactive/2026/03/world/expose-rape-assault-online-vis-intl/index.html and As Equals series: https://edition.cnn.com/interactive/asequals/NDR covered this network in 2024, their unit STRG_F's documentary: youtube.com/watch?si=uoUyWe9dQAteJWJA&v=GLrzyOLJUtk&feature=youtu.be - Their research triggered an international law enforcement operation: https://www.ndr.de/der_ndr/presse/mitteilungen/ndr-recherche-loest-internationale-ermittlungsoperation-medusa-aus,pressemeldungndr-638.html Pelicot investigation: https://edition.cnn.com/interactive/2024/12/europe/gisele-pelicot-france-case-messages/NY Times article hiding CSAM: https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2019/11/09/us/internet-child-sex-abuse.htmlBerkeley Protocol https://www.ohchr.org/sites/default/files/2024-01/OHCHR_BerkeleyProtocol.pdfAlexa Koenig talk https://rss.com/podcasts/bellingcatstagetalk/1908244/Discord discussion space - Gender Based Violence And Misogyny: https://discordapp.com/channels/709752884257882135/1118448280435687506Maintain mental hygiene as a researcher: https://www.bellingcat.com/resources/2022/11/23/how-to-maintain-mental-hygiene-as-an-open-source-researcher/Reporting on gender based violence: https://www.bellingcat.com/resources/2023/03/03/sexual-and-gender-based-violence-open-source-researche-osint-digital/